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Archive for November, 2008
(*unless your name is Teebz)
That sweater’s a ting of beauty, eh? (Here’s the back, breezers and socks.) It belongs to one of the greatest teams ever to play hockey — the Preston Rivulettes. From 1931 until 1939, this professional team’s record was an estimated 350 wins, 3 ties, and 2 losses. So great was this team that they were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963. But you probably never heard of them, right? That’s because the Preston Rivulettes were a women’s team.
So, to whom does that beautiful sweater belong? Perhaps the greatest player ever — Hilda Ranscombe, a member of the Preston (P/Springs) Rivulettes. She has been called the “Wayne Gretzky of women’s professional ice hockey.” She was regarded as the heart and soul of the Preston Rivulettes. Playing right wing, Hilda Ranscombe’s skills dominated the sport (here’s a color shot of a similar sweater). Scoring data have not been saved, but Ranscombe was by far the top scorer, becoming a legend in her time. An all-round athlete, she also excelled in softball and tennis. She was twice a finalist for Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year. Here is Hilda shortly before her death being inducted into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame.
The Rivulettes were the first women’s team inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and were voted along with the 1947-48 Maple Leafs, 1949-50 Detroit Red Wings, 1959-60 Montreal Canadiens as one of the greatest teams ever. They so dominated women’s ice hockey in the 1930s that the Rivulettes won 10 Ontario titles, 10 Eastern Canadian Championships and 6 Dominion Championships.
So what happened to the Rivs? The team disbanded at the end of the 1930s upon the outbreak of World War II. Unfortunately, after the war, women’s hockey would not return, and it wasn’t until the 1960s that the sport started to regain popularity. So, now that they’re not The Greatest Team You Never Heard Of anymore, who is? Let’s hear your nominees.
“This is hockey, OK? It’s not rocket surgery.”
Notes & Quotes: • Worst uni matchups from the past week: Jackson State vs. Illinois (thanks Stuby), Montreal vs. Calgary (submitted by Ricko) and Zimbabwe vs. Sri Lanka •• Today’s Best NFL Games: Skins (getting 4 as Home Dogs) vs. G-Men @ 1:00; Steeltown (getting 1.5) at the Flying Elvises @ 4:15 ••• Bills back in their gorgeous throwbacks today •••• Jesus No. — Phil
November 30th, 2008
A 60 Minute Man went both ways.
Known to many as “The Greatest Football Player Who Ever Lived,” Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski is perhaps most famous for playing for the Chicago Bears in the 1930’s (1930-37, and 1943). Born in Canada, he moved to International Falls, Minnesota, and gained fame on the gridiron while attending the University of Minnesota, where he played on both sides of the ball. Nagurski played fullback on offense and tackle on defense.
When Nagurski joined the NFL, he still played both sides of the ball. Even back in the 1930’s Nagurski was a monster, standing 6′2′’ and weighing 235 pounds, easily the largest running back of his time. A formidable presence in any era, he starred not only at fullback, but also defensive tackle. In addition, he also played offensive tackle, making him the only player in history to make All Pro in three non-kicking positions. In 633 attempts, he rushed for 2778 yards (a 4.4 average), while scoring 18 touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes for 134 yards. Nagurski helped the Bears capture several division titles and two Championships (1932 & 1933). So awesome was his defensive presence in both college and the pros, the “Bronko Nagurski Trophy” is awarded to the best defensive player in College Football. He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as a charter member. He exemplified the Bears and their monicker, “Monsters of the Midway.”
When Bronko Nagurski died in January 1990, the people of International Falls were asked how they would like to honor their favorite citizen, so they decided to build him a museum, which opened in June of 1993. The Bronko Nagurski Museum is the first museum dedicated to an individual football player.
One would be remiss in discussing Nagurski’s career without pointing out that, in addition to all of his football feats, he was also a professional wrestler. During his football career, he became a three-time world heavyweight champion. After his football career ended, he continued wrestling for decades.
The uniforms Nagurski wore occurred during a decade of big changes in the Bears’ attire. In the 1920’s, the Bears threads were mostly simple wool sweaters with strips of material sewn onto them, and canvas pants. By 1932 numbers are added to the front of the jersey. As early as 1933, the team wore this orange jersey decked out with navy numerals, and black arm stripes. According to one source, in 1934, the team wore white helmets. However, in the famous “sneaker game,” it was the New York Football Giants who wore white lids (Nagurski is shown being gang tackled in that photo as well as this one). In 1936, the team debuted this awesome uniform described years later by an NFL publication as “an early version of psychodelia.” The Bears wore a dark helmet with three orange stripes from front to back, a white jersey with 14 navy and orange alternating stripes on the sleeves and shoulders, and some of the greatest socks. Ever.
Although photographs (particularly color ones) in this era are extremely rare, what struck me most was how visually imposing Nagurski was in the 1936 jersey. Even today, the uni is instantly recognizable as “Da Bears.” Nothing to me says more about “old time football” than this portrait. Truly a “60 Minute Man.”
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. — GSH
Notes & Quotes: • Still time to submit a pic for the “worst uni matchup” of the week. Send it to me [phecken (at) yahoo.com]. Worst uni matchup pics will run tomorrow •• Upset alert: Iron Eagle? ••• Lots of good football today…the Beavs look make their Run for the Roses (they haven’t been since 1964) in the Civil War in Corvallis — always a potential uni-disaster — Phil
November 29th, 2008
Wanna know what devotion is? Devotion — in this case exemplified by longtime reader Doug Mooney — is attending your crummy team’s annual Thanksgiving loss, noting that several people in the stands are wearing “0-16″ tees, taking the photo shown above, and e-mailing it to your friendly uniform columnist while the game is still being played. Thanks, Doug.
Thanksgiving was a serious feast, thanks in large part to the perfectly bronzed bird cooked and carved by my friend Scout. There were lots of other good dishes, including several made by Collateral Gammage and myself, but I was too busy eating, drinking, and yakking to take any more photos. Which is probably just as well, since I for one can’t even bear to think about food today, much less look at it. And that’s the sign of a successful Thanksgiving, am I right? — Paul
November 28th, 2008
I’ll be busy cooking and eating today (not necessarily in that order), but I’ll leave the comments open for those who feel the need to point out that the Lions really suck. I’ll have a short entry tomorrow; until then, enjoy your holiday and remember that white meat’s for chumps. And give some extra-special thanks to Zac Neubauer, who provided the excellent postcard shown above. — Paul
November 27th, 2008
[Editor’s Note: Today’s entry marks the weekday-entry debut of bench coach Phil Hecken. Please join me in giving him a hand. I’ll rejoin you down at the Ticker. — PL]
By Phil Hecken
One of the more underappreciated and overlooked sports in the United States is field hockey. Although played by both men and women around the globe, in America it’s primarily viewed as a “girls’ sport” and a marginal one, at best. Uni Watch reader Terri King played field hockey for St. Francis University and feels it’s been underrepresented, so she’s helped me prepare this in-depth look at the sport and its gear.
A cross between ice hockey and soccer, the sport is played on a field roughly the size of a soccer pitch. It can be played on grass, but artificial turf is preferred due to its smoother consistency. A goal can only be scored from within the “circle” (called a “D” outside the States — a semi-circle around the goal that extends 16 yards). If a ball is struck outside the circle and goes into the goal without being touched by an offensive player inside the circle, it’s simply as if the ball went out of bounds. Terri explains, “This leads to a very confused crowd when the goalie purposely lets the ball in the goal, which is pretty entertaining for the players.”
Each side has 11 players, much like soccer (with roughly equivalent positions as well). Every player carries a stick, one side of which is flat, the other rounded. There are no left-handed sticks — everyone must play right-handed. The ball can only be hit with the flat side and cannot be touched or hit with any part of the body, including the hands on the stick. The ball cannot be lifted in the air above the knee, unless no other players are around or unless it is directed at the goalie (who resembles an ice hockey goalie), in which case it can be lifted to any height. Terri, an ex-goaler herself, explains that the goalie’s equipment is, from head to toe, helmet, neck protector, chest/shoulder pads, gloves (one of which holds the stick, the other is the blocker), girdle (which Terri calls “butt pads”), leg pads, and kickers.
The main difference with field hockey pads is the material — the leg pads, kickers, and gloves are all made of high-density foam. Since the goalie cannot catch or cover the ball (this results in a penalty stroke — like a penalty kick), the ball is cleared out of the circle using what basically amounts to deflections (preferably with the kickers), and the foam gives better rebounds.
“The rules can get pretty complicated,” says Terri, “but the important ones are (1) you can only use one side of the stick, (2) you can’t touch the ball with any part of your body, and (3) you can’t block an opposing player from the ball using your body.”
Jerseys started out as very modest long-sleeved garments. Eventually, they moved on to polos, which were pretty common just a few years ago. “They were horribly hot and uncomfortable,” says Terri. Jerseys are now generally made up of the same material as skirts, but unlike soccer kits, they are getting tighter, because arms and upper body have a lot to do with playing hockey and, as Terri puts it, “a blousy shirt can get in the way.” For this reason, jerseys are almost exclusively sleeveless these days. The material is usually spandex, which can potentially cause problems: “Spandex isn’t very flattering for every woman, athlete or not,” says Terri, “and in my opinion, if you’re not confident in how you look, it affects your play.”
On to the skirts — or as some purists call them, kilts. “When hockey (as it is called everywhere but North America) became an ‘acceptable sport’ for women, it was the first team sport women could play, but it was still not acceptable for women to wear shorts or pants,” says Terri. “So they wore long skirts. As is the case with cheerleading, the skirts stayed, but they kept getting shorter and shorter.”
Until very recently, plaid skirts were the most popular kind. Although old-school kilts are still available, most teams wear skirts made of the high-tech material. Most skirts are no longer the wrap-around kilt style; now, the spandex is built in. In case you’re wondering, Terri says, “No, they were not passed down year to year, ’cuz seriously, who wants to share spandex. Ew.”
In the 1990s there was a brief (but strong) push to switch to shorts. “The big reason was the girls felt like maybe skirts were giving people the wrong idea, and like they were being forced to be girly.” But the switch was short-lived. Why? Terry says, “Suddenly, there was nothing to separate hockey players from soccer players. It felt like the sport’s identity was being lost. My high school reverted back to skirts after (I think) two seasons. Now, most hockey players are proud of their skirts.”
As for the sticks, they were originally made completely of wood and had a long, fairly thin head. The grip was made out of thread. In the past 15 years, however, manufacturers have started reinforcing the wood sticks with fiberglass, carbon, Kevlar and Dyneema. Composite sticks are made from a mold, so every stick of a certain model is the same. There are also different kinds of heads (shortis and midis), used by forwards and mids for better ball control. And then there are goalie sticks, which are used more for deflecting the ball than for hitting it.
Sticks are also becoming more and more bowed — so much so that the NCAA had to institute regulations to limit the amount of bow a stick could have. “Bows in the stick have a number of benefits,” explains Terri, “but the most important are being easier to lift the balls and giving harder drives.” Most players tape their sticks “at the shaft, not the head,” as some feel this softens the stick for when the ball strikes it, providing less rebound and more control. The amount of tape on a stick is also regulated.
Of course, logos now adorn sticks. Since the onset of composites, sticks are available in many colors and designs. “Don’t think for a second that doesn’t matter to a player when she’s are selecting her stick,” says Terri.
Finally, the last pieces of equipment are shin guard and gloves. “Shin guards are fairly minor, but vitally important,” explains Terri. “At the lower levels, they are typically the soft, sock type shin guards, while at the higher levels, harder shin guards are more common.”
Here are some pics of Terri and her teammates. In classic Uni Watch-speak, she says, “No, black is not an official school color, and technically we were supposed to wear red skirts on the road, but we liked this look better.”
Uni Watch News Ticker: Paul here. Let’s begin this holiday-getaway Ticker with something from yesterday’s comments — a really great photo gallery of college football trophies. … Jeremy Brahm reports that the Hiroshima Carp have unveiled their 2009 uniforms and that the FIFA Confederations Cup soccer tourney in South Africa will be using this ball design. Further info here. … Lots of cool stuff in the current Mastro Legends auction, including a Jack Youngblood jersey with double-decker FNOB (big thanks to Jared Wheeler). … Here’s schedule of when the Blackhawks will be wearing their alts (with thanks to James Huening). … Two Aussie-rules football notes from Jeremy Brahm: The Brisbane Lions have announced that they’ll wear their old jerseys in games played in the State of Victoria (Melbourne), and North Melbourne will soon come out with a new clash uniform. … Been meaning to mention that Collateral Gammage and I spent Saturday afternoon at Christie’s, where we checked out the pre-sale viewing of the “Punk/Rock” auction. Amidst all the posters, flyers, photos, zines, and highly progressive apparel, there was one vaguely uni-related item: a poster showing Andy Warhol and Jean Michael Basquiat wearing boxing gear. … Matthew Garrett sent along some great pics of his father’s high school basketball uni, circa 1969, complete with belted shorts, snug-crotch jersey (here’s a slightly closer look), and stirrups. Matthew, who attended the same high school as his dad, reports that he wore these same stirrups as part of his uniform during his senior year. … HNOB alert (thanks, Phil). … Also from Phil: major footwear graffiti by UNC’s Rashanda McCants. … Nice little video clip here showing hand-painted bubble hockey players (excellent find by Jeremy Brahm).
Holiday Schedule: I’ll open the floor to your jibber-jabbering tomorrow, and probably Friday too, and Phil will handle the weekend as usual. Safe travel to those who are on the move today and tonight, remember not to let Mom do all the kitchen work tomorrow while you sit on the couch and watch football (after all, it’s just the Lions).
November 26th, 2008
Time to continue our look through the Life photo archives, this time focusing exclusively on baseball. Just like last time, I’m linking to smaller versions of the pics so you can see the captions, but you should click on each photo to see the larger versions. Let’s get started:
• Here’s Stan the Man announcing his retirement. What is that around his neck — kinda looks like one of those Cub Scouts neckerchiefs, no?
• Spectacular, and not just because of the awesome sock stripes. Look at the composition, the framing — really great photo.
• The archive features a mother lode of photos showing the Hollywood Stars’ shorts, most of which I hadn’t seen before. Dozens of additional examples, including some that show a player sliding (and the effects thereof), here.
• You know, sometimes advertising on uniforms doesn’t bother me at all. And hey, at least one of those jerseys was ironed by mom. There’s even a sequence that shows the kid putting it on.
• Lots of good women’s baseball pics. I’m particularly fond of this one and this one, but also look here, here, here,
• Remember my recent post about uni-clad scarecrows? Here’s a vaguely related photo.
• So many great details to savor in this shot: The thin, graceful lettering, the texture of the various fabrics, the stitching on the seams, the way the pinstripes on the collar placket don’t match up with the pinstripes on the body (this was intentional, to give the placket its own visual identity), the top button of the undershirt peeking out, etc. Gorgeous.
• There are sandlots and then are, like, really sandy lots.
• No post-game buffet spread can match up to this. Note that the shop sells patent medicine, jeepers!
• Jackie Robinson, card shark. And Satchel Paige, pool shark. Plus Satch played the guitar and piano.
• This is odd — why is the rubber so close to the edge of the mound, instead of in the center? (Update: Several readers have now pointed out that this must have been a small-ish bullpen mound.)
• Awesome detail here: Note the little “44″ on the undershirt placket. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Can’t tell if the guy in the background has a number on his undershirt as well.
• Wish my Little League had something as cool as this. Here’s how it turned out.
• Look how those stripes just pop out of the haze. Magnificent.
• Although it’s hard to tell in a black-and-white shot, I’m pretty sure the guy with his back to the camera is wearing one of the Dodgers’ old blue satin uniforms. And several of the guys in the audience are wearing the satin whites (discernable by the shoulder piping).
• Good view here of the memorial left-armhole band that the Reds wore in 1961 for owner Powel Crosley. Instead of removing it the following year, they simply added a corresponding band to the other side.
• Speaking of the Reds, it’s always good to see more shots of Big Klu in action.
• Look at Frank Robinson’s left stirrup in the lower-right corner of this 1961 shot. Looks like he was already adding fabric to his stirrups at that early date (as he clearly did later on with the Orioles).
• Love the uni-numbered wooden boxes above each locker.
• Not sure what I like best about this shot — the cigarette, the pay phone in the background, the unbuckled belt, or the fact that this is how Birdie Tebbetts spent his time between games of a twinbill.
• What’s the deal with this jersey lettering?
• Check out the embroidery on the grounds crew shirts.
• Man, the Phillies sure had some giant uni numbers. Plus they had some super-cool spring training signage.
• Hand-numbered stirrups alert!
• Double-cap alert!
• Someone get Honus Wagner a new belt.
• What’s that little strip of tarp outside the third base line? Also, why did the fans sitting way out in the right field seats need to be protected by a screen?
• This had to have been staged, right? And even if it was, it’s still hard to fathom.
• Man, I’d give anything to be at this bar.
That’ll do for now. My thanks to the many of you who contributed photos to the foregoing list.
Signal Flare: Dave Graf, I’ve been trying to contact you for weeks, because I have a question about your membership order. Can you please get in touch? Thanks.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Shame on me for not including lots of NHL news from the weekend in yesterday’s Ticker. First, the Canadiens retired Patrick Roy’s number, so they wore a commemorative patch and, interestingly, didn’t wear the centennial and all-star patches they’ve been wearing all season. … Meanwhile, the Leafs honored Wendel Clark, so they did the pregame thing where everyone dressed up as him and then throwbacks with a special patch during the game. … In addition, the Coyotes have unveiled their alternates (additional info here, and here’s a closer look at the shoulder patch), the Kings’ alts have made their on-ice debut, and the Sharks have sold their soul to Seagate®, which definitely qualifies as the douchebag move of the week. … Here’s a nice view of Walt Tkachuk’s jawguard (with thanks to Alex Shuman). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: LSU celebrated the 50th anniversary of their 1958 national championship team by wearing a jersey patch. … Some guy on eBay is selling two jerseys that he claims were worn by the Steagles (look here and here). Personally, I’m skeptical — no numbers on the back, for starters — but they’re still interesting (with thanks to Jason Bernard). … Scott Johnson was looking through the West Virginia Division of Culture & History State Archives and came up with two interesting shots of the WV State hoops team. This one is circa 1940, and this one’s from 1948 — sleeves! … Forgot to mention yesterday that Washington State wore special helmets for the Apple Cup. … The Maui Invitational is currently underway in Hawaii, and here’s some news from Jay Bilas’s ESPN Insider blog (brought to my attention by Doug Simpson): “Oregon expects to be the best-dressed team at the Maui Invitational. The Ducks will be wearing specially made shoes by Nike with Hawaiian print, and the Hawaiian print will also be on the [yellow] trim of the Oregon uniforms. Also wearing the Hawaiian floral print shoes will be Saint Joseph’s, Texas and Alabama.” Apparently the coaches are going Hawaiian as well. … Video report on Jose Theodore’s new mask here (with thanks to John Muir). … Very nice old baseball uni available here. … Lots of good finds by Andy Chalifour: Moises Alou as a Pirate (he played only two games for them), Jim Abbot batting, and Jeff Reardon without a beard. … The Bruins third jersey schedule is available here (with thanks to Matt Porter). … Everyone knows about the U.S. Library of Congress’s photo archive. What you might not know about is that there’s a rough Canadian equivalent. Zac Neubauer was poking around there the other day and turned up some interesting stuff, including the South Alberta Regiment baseball team, circa 1943; the No. 1 Canadian Corps Ordnance Depot baseball team (which was playing the team of the 101st Squadron, United States Army Air Forces, in Godalming, England, on June 14th, 1945), and a women’s baseball game between the “Eager Beavers” — yes, that’s what the caption says — and officers of the Regina Rifle Regiment (in the Netherlands, August 31st, 1945). … Also from Zac: Great vintage ad archive here. … If you look at the first and third questions on this Q&A page, you’ll see that uni changes appear to be afoot for UNC’s 100th anniversary next year (courtesy of Chris Warfford). … “Corinthians, in Brazil’s second division of soccer, had a special promotion to put the pictures of fans on their uniform for the final game of the season,” reports Jeremy Brahm. “Each picture is 3cm x 4cm, and the fans had to pay 1,000 reais, or $410, for the privilege.” … The Twins unveiled their throwback alternates and stadium-farewell patch (which we first saw a few months ago) yesterday. The good news: NNOB. The bad news: The jersey is a button-front instead of a pullover, and they’re wearing it with belted pants, not elastic waistbands. Video coverage here, additional details here, and more photos here). … Wondering if Citi and other corporate parasites might free up a bit of cash by relinquishing their sports sponsorships? Fuhgeddaboudit. … Good video on the history behind the Cardinals’ team name and logo here. … Several readers noted that Ed Hochuli was wearing a head linesman’s jersey with No. 28 on Sunday, instead of his usual ref’s No. 85. Haven’t heard the story behind it, but I assume his luggage was lost. … Interesting NOB tidbit here (with thanks to John Wilmott). … Prentice James sent along some old Johnson C. Smith pics, including this awesome cheerleading shot and a basketball photo that shows JCSU palying against a sleeved Virginia Union team. … Ugliest uniform ever? Marc Walls thinks so. That’s Austin East High in Knoxville. Lots of additional pics here. … Lance Moore was wearing one eye-black sticker last night (screen grab courtesy of Chris Cocuzza). … Ace sports photographer Neil Leiffer has a new book out, and there’s an excellent slideshow of images here, plus a really nice video interview here (thanks to Steve Johnston). … Remember Marty Hick, whose amazing uniform drawings I wrote about more than a year ago? He recently got hitched (to a gal who appears to be a real dish) — congrats! “Holly recently turned 32,” he writes. “I made her a Jim Brown cake. I ain’t gonna lie: It was gorgeous! I am unable to articulate the thought and effort I put into this project. I just hope you like the pictures.” Looks like someone else liked it too. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: What would we do without John Daly? … Hey, the Pirates signed Derek Bell, and he couldn’t play baseball, so why not? … Adidas is now selling a branded sunscreen that comes out of the can in, of course, three stripes. No, really (disturbing find by Stu Taylor). … You never see Cleveland Browns personnel wearing anything emblazoned with a “C,” but check out this 1971 shot of Browns coach Nick Skorich. As JC Helf points out, the C appears to be very similar to this.
November 25th, 2008
I could be wrong about this, but I’m fairly certain I’ve never been the victim of a wedgie. I suppose there could possibly have been a summer camp incident so dreadful that I’ve blocked it out of my memory banks, but I don’t think so. In the long catalog of life’s indignities, I believe this is one I’ve been spared.
All of which means there’s at least one thing I don’t have in common with Brian Westbrook.
That photo from yesterday’s Ravens/Eagles game, a smaller version of which first surfaced in yesterday’s comments, is disturbing and compelling on all sorts of levels. Among the questions that come to mind: Did Westbrook get a new jockstrap after this play? Should this be a penalty (sort of the derriere version of a facemask)? And, most importantly, if reaching under a guy’s shoulder pads is a horse-collar tackle, what name should we give this maneuver?
When you think about it, it’s kinda surprising this type of thing doesn’t happen more often, no?
Commenting rules for the day: No Seinfeld quotes (we’ve all seen that episode, thanks), no photos of chicks with G-strings up their butt cracks, and no wedgie photos with my face Photoshopped onto the victim. Photoshopping Phil’s face, however, is fine.
Signal Flare: Art Savokinas, I’m trying to contact you but my e-mails keep bouncing. Can you give me a quick shout?
Uni Watch News Ticker: On Friday I linked to these Kitchener Rangers Remembrance Day trading cards. Now Mike Hersh informs me that the card design is based on the 1954-55 Topps set. … The Syracuse Chiefs have a new alternate logo and cap (with thanks to long-lost Jeff Katz — welcome aboard, buddy). … Interesting note from Travis Lan, who writes: “Soccer coach Miller Bugliari recently won his 700th game at the Pingry School in Martinsville, N.J. To honor the occasion, each player was presented with a new jersey with ‘Bugliari’ as the NOB. In addition, the jerseys have red sleeve patches celebrating coach Bugliari’s 50 years coaching at the school.” … Nice view here of the NFL’s 50th-anniversary patch (with thanks to JC Helf). … The Sharks have unveiled their black alternate jersey. … Loyola will wear 1970s throwbacks on December 13th. … And the Rams will wear throwbacks next season (with thanks to James Poisso). … Personally, I never much liked the Obama campaign logo, but here’s an interview with the guy who designed it (thanks, Kirsten). … Chris Bisbee recently visited the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and noticed they had a good display of steward/stewardess uniforms from the ’30s and ’40s. “I was really taken in by the ‘Flagship Fleet’ armband on the American Airlines uniform and just the sheer style of the Eastern Airlines uniform.” … Jeffrey Bethune had to make a web site for a class assignment, so he decided to make one about Chicago sports uniforms. … Interesting two-tone hockey helmet here (with thanks to Dustin Pomprowitz). … Cardinals WR Steve Breaston lost a shoe at one point during yesterday’s game (thanks, Phil), while Frank Gore lost his helmet (additional pics here and here). … Check out this amazing 1960s South Carolina helmet (nice find by Beau Franklin). … Lee Wilds reports that Titans GM Mike Reinfelt was on the radio on Friday and said the Titans would be wearing a 1961 Oilers throwback uniform at some point, probably next season. … Last Monday I noted that Lance Briggs’s helmet decal was partially dislodged. But in that same game, Josh Beekman’s decal was completely gone (with thanks to Steve Johnston). … Speaking of which, Indiana had some helmet decal problems on Saturday. … Anyone know why Tim Jamsion went NNOB on Saturday? (Screen grab courtesy of Patrick Coletta.) … Blue Demons wearing black — yeah, that makes a lot of sense (with thanks to Jonathan Cain). … Good shot here of Kurt Warner getting his helmet inflated (thanks, Phil). … Montana wore throwbacks against Montana State. Lots of additional pics in this slideshow (sent my way by Scott Boehler). … Good view here of Tony Romo’s pinkie rig (with thanks to Mike Engle). … Is this really necessary? Like, couldn’t he just tuck it in? … LT’s visor tabs look unusually big, no? … You all realize I meant Phil Knight’s face, right?
November 24th, 2008
So long. Farewell. Bye-Bye.
In case you missed it — and judging by the number of posts Uni Watch gets on women’s professional golf, you did — Annika Sorenstam concluded her golfing career on Friday, after the second round of the LPGA ADT Championship at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Sorenstam failed to make the cut in the last tournament of her storied career.
She is perhaps the greatest women’s golfer ever. It’s hard to argue with the final numbers: 72 LPGA victories and 17 more on other tours. The total of 89 is one more than the record 88 PGA events won by Kathy Whitworth. She won 10 majors and won 43 of 104 LPGA events between 2001 and 2005. But she failed to make the cut (for only the tenth time in her career) in her final tourney. And to add insult to injury, she was drug-tested afterwards. Thanks for playing.
Now, golfers don’t wear uniforms (unless they’re on a high school or college team or playing for their country), and while Annika’s outfits were always splendid, this “authentic” is my favorite (although that cap is atrocious). The “59″ on her uniform denotes a 59 she shot in tourney play.
So now that Annika moves on to greener pastures (she wants to give the tour a break and start a family), who will take her place as the greatest golfer of her generation? Some candidates: Lorena Ochoa, Anna Rawson, Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer (a/k/a the “Pink Panther), or Christie Kerr. Or how about Christina Kim. Maybe no one will ever equal the talent and ability of Annika, but it will be fun to see them try. I know I’ll be (uni) watching.
“You’re playing golf and you’re going to like it.”
Notes & Quotes: • Got a “worst uni matchup” (simply defined as, the worst two attired teams playing each other, in any sport, for the preceding week)? Send it to me [phecken (at) yahoo.com] and make sure to include a pic of the game. I’ll run some of the best worst submissions each weekend. •• Upset alert: Will Jevon Kearse need to find a clever way to display “11-0″? I don’t think so. ••• Don’t forget the “Canadian Super Bowl” (the Grey Cup) is tonight, you can watch it on Versus in the States. — Phil
November 23rd, 2008
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